Jr. Lady Pirates fall to Two RiversDOVER -- The Two Rivers Junior Lady Gators defeated the Dover Junior Lady Pirates on Monday by a score of 32-22. Two Rivers took a 14-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and led 27-8 by halftime. After the third quarter, the Junior Lady Gators were up 32-14. Dover 7G 18, Two Rivers 13 DOVER -- The Dover seventh-grade Lady Pirates defeated Two Rivers Lady Gators 18-13. Dover led 4-2 after the first quarter and 8-6 at halftime. After the thir...

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Courier sports staffThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Ryan George named CSI Participant of the MonthCommunity Service First Tee Participant of the Month Community Service, Inc. (CSI) has named Ryan George as the First Tee Participant of the month for November. Ryan attends Upper Elementary Fifth Grade in Russellville is the son of Melissa Feltner and Steve George. "Ryan comes with to class with a positive attitude and a great sense of humor; you can always count on Ryan to crack a joke during class," said Sam Taylor, CSI First Tee Coach. "He...

Cyclone peewee football concludes its seasonCyclone peewee football concluded its season on Saturday, and board president Michael Swindle couldn't be happier with the year of improvements the program has seen. "I think it was definitely successful," he said. "We definitely made improvements over what had been going on the previous year." The main improvements: The program was able to raise money to purchase new uniforms, helmets and were able to improve the draft process to produce more...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Pair win awards on Southern Belle's DreamTHE COURIER / Submitted Jenny Serrette (right) won Senior Showmanship at the 2016 Pope County Fair Horse Show recently. It was Serrette's first horse show, and she was showing Southern Belle's Dream. Her parents are Jon and Michelle Serrette.

RussVegas Tailgate Classic, triathlon set for Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016Last week, downtown Russellville was painted green and gold for the Arkansas Tech University Wonder Boys. Saturday, you can participate in the community's first triathlon, kids course and games before you get ready to call the Hogs as they battle the TCU Horned Frogs. The RussVegas Tailgate Classic and Sprint Triathlon is set for Saturday at Pleasant View Park. The race is sponsored by the RussVegas Footraces Foundation, the group also respons...

Dowling named First Tee Participant of the MonthCommunity Service, Inc. (CSI) named Jayden Dowling as the First Tee Participant of the Month for August. Dowling is the daughter of Robert and Courtney Dowling of Russellville. She is in the third grade at Pottsville Elementary School. "Jayden has only been in the program for a short time," CSI coach Sam Taylor said. "She already shows examples of the First Tee Nine Core Values in class. "She is always excited about learning new golf technique...

Cyclone Peewee Football preps for openersMore than anything, Cyclone Peewee Football Board President Michael Swindle wants the teams to be fair -- that's why the program spent three days, spread across three weeks, letting coaches evaluate players prior to the draft. "I think that's one of the biggest changes we made," Swindle said. "The coaches were were able to look at all the players, and I think it led to a more equal draft. Looking at the roster, you can see the kids are equally...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Shooters wrestling team host pancake fundraiser, gain fansAround 20 River Valley Shooters, a local youth wrestling team, served pancakes at Stoby's in Russellville to help raise money for the upcoming wrestling season on Sunday. Shooters head coach Tyler Goodman, who volunteers with the high school wrestling team, said the kids surprised him with their work ethic. "I had 4- and 5-year-olds helping wash dishes," Goodman said. "These kids worked harder than the high schoolers I saw when I did this with...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSONsports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Local scouts win national canoe raceThe Russellville Venture Crew 300 recently won the Girl's Cruising Division of the 2016 White River Canoe Race for the second year in a row. Venture Crew 300 is a coed division of the Boy Scouts of America The White River Canoe Race is a three-day, 120-mile race conducted by the Boy Scouts of America annually for the last 50 years. The race concludes in Batesville. Russellville's girls crew completed the race in 16 hours, 57 minutes and 40 sec...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Abington named First Tee Participant of the MonthNoah Abington was recently named First Tee Participant of the Month for July by Community Service Inc. (CSI). "Noah has grown so much in his golf skills as well as demonstrating the First Tee Nine Core Values outside of class." Sam Taylor, CSI First Tee golf coach, said. Abington said his favorite part of the program are the coaches and "anything golf related." "I enjoy being involved in everything that has to do with the game of golf," he sai...

Local team shines at martial arts tourneyRussellville Martial Arts America sent seven athletes to the Arkansas State American Grappling tournament. And all seven returned with medals. "Every single one of my people brought home hardware," instructor John Hubbard said. "It's pretty awesome, and I was amazed." Hubbard said four of his students competed in their first competition, including James Richardson, 15, who went on to win in his division. "He submitted his opponent for a gold m...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
sports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Tyler Wilson speaks at Cyclone Peewee FundraiserFormer Arkansas Razorback Tyler Wilson was just one of the people who shared his experiences playing peewee football for the first annual Cyclone Peewee Football Fundraising Banquet conducted Saturday. Several Cyclones seniors shared their favorite memory with the crowd, including several peewee players, gathered inside Russellville High School Cafeteria. The common theme: "It taught me how to love the game." The banquet, which was held to hel...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSONsports@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Soccer complex to get LED lighting, well waterThe Russellville Recreation and Parks Commission approved an upgrade to LED lighting to be installed at three fields at the Russellville Soccer Complex during its regular meeting Thursday inside the Hughes Center. Recreation and Parks Director Mack Hollis said he found out that Benton installed LED lighting on three of its soccer fields at a price within Russellville's budget. He contacted a representative of Musco Sports Lighting LLC, who sai...

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BY SEAN INGRAMsean@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Locals provide free youth speed campPOTTSVILLE -- Thirty-four area youth spent Monday evening sweating in the field behind the Thomas G. Morris Athletic Complex as part of the second annual Expect To Win Speed Camp. Mike Gailey and a slew of area coaches provided free coaching for students looking to excel in almost any sports. "We called it expect to win because we are taking kids and molding them and their mentality, so that when they step out on the field or the court, whatev...

Cyclone basketball camp fills Cyclone ArenaAround 60 future Cyclones hit the court last week for the Little Cyclone Basketball Skills Camp. The camp, which ran June 20-22 inside Cylcone Arena, attempted to ingrain campers with good basketball fundamentals, but Russellville assistant coach Derek Phillips said the coaches also learned a thing or two about the game. "For me and most coaches, it was exciting to watch these kids display a pure love of the game," he said. "Sometimes, when yo...

Alvarado builds soccer field in CentervilleHector Alvarado wants to see people playing more soccer. That's why he built a soccer field in Centerville and started the USA Young Soccer League. "Kids don't have enough to do," he said. "This is just my opinion, but kids have nothing to do. They play sports 2-3 months, and the rest of the time they just use the computer or watch TV." Alvarado, who moved from California in 2006, ran a soccer league there for 13 years. The USA Young Soccer Le...